Arsenal signed Eberechi Eze on 23 August last year. It was known the player was available from well before last summer and, initially, it looks as though Arsenal’s view was ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ Kai Havertz’s knee injury on the opening day of last season at Old Trafford quickly changed that calculus and, hilariously, the Gunners hijacked Eze’s impending transfer to Spurs. That comedy was multiplied when Eze scored five goals against Tottenham last season into the bargain, including a hat-trick at the Emirates. Now, I am not one for beating people over the head with logic and reason all the time. Fans are entitled, encouraged even, to over index ‘laughing at Spurs’ in their player analysis. However, if one were to subtract that lens for a second, I think there are still some technical questions about the signing, even if Eze’s talent is not in doubt. He notched seven goals and two assists in the league last season which, if I am honest, are not top tier numbers for a player with that much attacking responsibility. If we subtract the five goals against Spurs it even looks a little meagre. Having Eze and Odegaard for, ostensibly, one position feels a little like overkill or else it feels like seriously impressive depth, depending on your perspective. The fact that Eze and Odegaard are such wildly different players adds variety and flexibility but arguably impacts continuity and cohesion. I think all of these things are simultaneously true. I guess what I am saying is that Mikel Arteta clearly must have had some (possibly low level) doubts about adding the player until the Havertz injury. Initially it looked as though Eze would be a serious left-wing option for Arsenal, which many of us were excited about given the long-term need to upgrade in that position. However, Eze was not really a left-winger at Crystal Palace, he was much more a left 10 in a 3421 formation, playing further inside than an Arsenal left-winger traditionally has. Left wing proved to be an awkward fit, especially as Eze was given a very free role at Palace and perhaps was unaccustomed to some of the pressing demands and the ‘running back into position even if you cough up a lung doing it’ demands that Arteta places on his players. Odegaard’s consistent injury issues probably sidelined the fact that Eze felt like a really talented player but a bit of an awkward fit. I think it is very fair to question whether Ethan Nwaneri might have managed to match his numbers given the same opportunities. Now, obviously there are a lot of caveats here. Eze scored big, important goals at home to Palace and especially at home to Newcastle. I think there were real signs that he was finally latching onto what it meant to be a number 10 at Arsenal in March before he got injured and, by the time he returned, Martin Odegaard had returned and his role became quite fudged again. The central issue is that Eze is not really a left-winger or a number 10 but a hybrid of both but it doesn’t feel like Arsenal are ever going to play in a manner that allows him to do that unless something significant changes. The addition of Bruno Guimaraes, in my view, tilts that picture further against Eze. Prior to that, the prospect of a midfield featuring Eze and Odegaard together felt like it could happen often enough. But Arsenal have not paid the guts of £80m for 28-year-old Bruno so he can be a rotation player. While Arsenal might be advised to go easier on Declan Rice this season, I can’t envisage a PSG like luxury season for him where he spends more time in the spa than on the pitch between September and March. Myles Lewis-Skelly’s emergence as a midfielder also creates serious depth in midfield and it is starting to look pretty crowded in there. Eze was selected on the left wing for the April title showdown clash with Manchester City. He also came on on the left wing against Coventry last Friday. This suggests a softening in Arteta’s stance on Eze in that role since the player was made to rewatch his repeated failure to track Matty Cash at Villa Park on repeat in a darkened room Clockwork Orange style in the winter. I think there is merit in the argument that Eze provided some much-needed calmness in the spring when some Arsenal arses were beginning to vibrate a little. One would expect that context to be ephemeral now that the team have hoisted the Premier League trophy. All of which is an especially long-winded way of asking, what is Eberechi Eze’s role this season assuming he is not the beneficiary of a large injury crisis (not unprecedented, of course)? In a squad allocation sense, Eze as a left-winger seems to make a lot more sense than Eze as a 10. However, it still remains to be seen whether Arteta is inclined to use him there on a long-term basis. Managers don’t (and shouldn’t) make decisions that impact results based on what is convenient for the squad depth chart graphic. There are plenty of elements on Eze’s side, of course. At time of writing, Arsenal’s left-wing options are Tzolis who has really impressed so far but ‘so far’ is the operative phrase there. We still ought to temper expectations for the time being. Leandro Trossard has been sold and Gabriel Martinelli is currently browsing luxury housing brochures for Riyadh. If Arsenal sign Alvarez, then the left-wing spot becomes even more viable. There is a spot there for Eze if he takes to it. It is entirely possible. That said, in both life and football, things do not always fall neatly into place because that’s the most convenient outcome. I love the talent of Eze, I think he has qualities that are incredibly useful to the team. I am just curious as to where he fits into the jigsaw this season (and I am open minded on that too). We have seen Arteta buy players before, of course, who play in ‘areas’ as opposed to positions and he has moved the pieces around the board a little. Rice has flitted between 6 and 8. Havertz ended up becoming far more valuable as a striker than a midfielder. Lewis-Skelly’s emergence as a central midfielder at the end of last season was driven by necessity as Zubimendi’s form dipped. The same could happen with Eze. But the difference here is, firstly, Arteta wasn’t quite as insistent on signing Eze as he was Havertz and Rice. Secondly, Eze’s ‘area’ is the inside left pocket and I am to be convinced that area of the team is one Arteta wants to burnish. I could be proved wrong on that- and any manner of other doubts and concerns from this piece. But I have a close eye on Eze’s role this season. 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